George Russell's "biggest threat" in Azerbaijan GP: Max Verstappen or Kimi Antonelli?
Having qualified on pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, George Russell tipped Max Verstappen as his most immediate danger in the race – but joked about his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli's remarkable Monza comeback. Such a scenario could be on the cards again since Antonelli hit the wall on his second flying lap in Q1, damaging his front suspension and steering as well as the ... Keep…
George Russell led the pace in the opening Formula One practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, setting a time of one minute, 45.387 seconds for the 6km Baku street track. His teammate, Kimi Antonelli, who leads the championship by 81 points from Russell, experienced car trouble and had to pull over just under half an hour into the session.
Russell's time was still good enough to place him fifth after the session, behind Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari. Australian Oscar Piastri was sixth for McLaren, while Oscar Piastri emerged as the sixth-fastest driver. Rookie Arvid Lindblad, filling in for the injured Isack Hadjar on Red Bull, finished seventh. Esteban Ocon of Haas was ninth, and Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top 10 for Audi.
Baku's unpredictable circuit, known for safety car interruptions, saw drivers test its limits, but the practice session remained incident-free.
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